WHY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS DON’T WORK?

You know that feeling you get when you start a New Year's resolution? The feeling that things are going to be different. You are going to make a change in your life and stick with it this time. Well, you're not alone. Every year, millions of people set out to lose weight or improve their diet, only to fall off the wagon a few weeks in. According to a study by the National Institute of Health, only 8% of people who set out to lose weight in the new year actually succeed!

New Year's resolutions are often too restrictive, and they're not sustainable in the long-term. People often start off the year with good intentions, but they quickly fall off the bandwagon when they realize they can't stick to their restrictive diet. Another reason why diet resolutions don't work is that people often don't have a clear plan for how to follow through on their goals. They may start off strong, but then quickly fall off the wagon when they encounter tempting foods or situations that make it difficult to stick to their plan.

If you're looking for a way to lose weight, you've come to the right place! This blog post is full of useful information that will help you get started on your weight-loss journey. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We are always happy to help! 

Here are some tips on how you can more effectively plan and carry out your resolutions through the rest of the year.

  1. Be Specific

Being specific about your goals will help you understand how you need to go about completing them. For example, you may want to get in shape this year, but you don’t have a real plan on how to do that. Make sure your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). An example would be to cook meals at home 5 times a week. Another example would be to work out for 60 minutes 3 times a week.

  1. Take Small Steps

Don’t cold-turkey quit all the bad habits and try to be perfect on day one. Sticking to your goals takes time and you may have some setbacks, and that alright! Let’s say you want to quit drinking soda—try drinking less and less each week. Only allow yourself 3 days a week for soda and then begin lowering that number. Start to replace your bad habits with good ones—when you’re craving soda, opt for unsweetened tea or unsweetened flavored water instead.   Instead of vowing to never eat sweets again, try cutting back to one treat a day. Or, instead of eliminating all carbs, focus on eating more whole grains. Small changes like these are more likely to stick, and they'll make a big difference in your overall health in the long run.

  1. Be Realistic

Don’t give yourself unrealistic goals, like losing 15 pounds in one week or getting abs overnight. If you create these types of goals, you’re setting yourself for failure. Do not discourage yourself and make sure to keep your goals realistic and sustainable.

  1. Make Lists

Try making check lists, or even look-into bullet journaling, to help you stay on track with your goals. You can make checklists in your planner to track your water intake, food habits, and anything else you’d like to track. This makes it easy to see your progress and helps you stay on track because you’ll want to keep a good streak throughout the week.

  1. Buddy up

Keeping resolutions with a buddy can be extremely helpful. Recruit your best friend, spouse, sibling, etc. to join you on your journey toward a better year. You can keep each other accountable, support each other making it a lot easier to stick to goals. Just make sure you each have your own specific goals that match your needs and abilities.

  1. Ask for help

If you’re serious about getting healthy but don’t know where to start, ask a professional! If you’re starting a new workout plan it may be a good idea to check with your doctor first, especially if you have a health condition. If you want to begin a new diet, a dietitian can help you come up with the best plan for you that works with your food preferences, medical history, and lifestyle.

It’s a new year and many people are resolving to make changes to their diet and fitness routines. We know it can be difficult to lose weight and keep it off, so we hope you find our blog useful and that you will be able to keep up with your resolutions for the new year! We hope you enjoyed our article on why new year’s resolutions often don’t work. If you need any tips on losing weight or increasing your fitness level, please contact us anytime. Thank you for reading, we are always excited when one of our posts can provide useful information on a topic like this!